Kick-Out!! Network

Saturday, August 1, 2009

Match of the Month - July

Welcome to the latest feature here at Kick-Out!! Wrestling, Match of the Month. Pretty self-explanatory, I highlight the best match in July and then you can vote in our latest poll to tell me whether or not I'm right. Surprisingly, none of this month's best matches came from a PPV, they all came from Smackdown, Superstars and yes, Ring of Honor on HDNet. I narrowed it down to six fantastic matches, but after re-watching each match, there was really no debate as to which one was the best. First, the runner-ups:

Kevin Steen, El Generico & Kenta vs. The American Wolves & Chris Hero - ROH on HDNet 7/18A tremendous six-man tag featuring the kind of action you're only going to find on Saturday nights (but soon moving to Mondays before Raw!). As much of a WWE fanboy as I am, you can't deny that matches like this are what sets ROH apart from what you usually see on TV.

CM Punk vs. John Morrison - Smackdown 7/17Just as good as their previous encounter, if not better. This match is all the proof you need that Smackdown has pretty much become CM Punk's brand. His two losses to Morrison have really solidified The Guru of Greatness as the next main event face in WWE, but Punk didn't lose any heat by getting pinned. Speaking of the pin, the finish to this match is simple, but expertly done - Punk goes for a la majistral cradle and Morrison catches him mid-way through for the win.

Evan Bourne vs. Jamie Noble - Superstars 7/23I'm surprised by the fact that Jamie Noble even got an opportunity to put a match of this caliber, but not surprised that he put on one of the best matches of the month with Evan Bourne. This might actually go down as the best WWE match this year that no one saw.

Tyler Black vs. Bryan Danielson 3 - ROH on HDNet 7/25Another fantastic outing from these guys and this one actually had a definitive ending. After two previous matches on HDNet ending in a time-limit draw and a double count-out, Tyler Black finally overcame the odds and defeated Danielson with God's Last Gift. Much like the six-man tag also on this list, this is the kind of wrestling you can't find anywhere else on American television.

Jeff Hardy vs. John Morrison - Smackdown 7/31In my Smackdown review, I talked about this match likely being the Match of the Month, and it definitely came close. Easily the best John Morrison match I've ever seen and possibly even Hardy's best in 2009, but that's up for debate due to the Ladder Match with Edge at Extreme Rules. After seeing this match, I'm totally in favor of John Morrison vs. CM Punk vs. Jeff Hardy as the SummerSlam main event.

But, there can only be one Match of the Month, and that honor goes to:

Chris Jericho vs. Rey Mysterio - Smackdown 7/10If I would've started MOTM in June, they would've won it then too for their unforgettable encounter at The Bash. Or maybe their match at Extreme Rules, or their match on the commercial-free episode of Raw... Let's just be honest, when Rey Mysterio and Chris Jericho get in the ring together, no one else in wrestling today can put on the kind of show that they do. I really can't decide what the highlight of this match is: Jericho's devastating Muscle Buster? That sickening powerbomb reversal where Rey gets folded up like an accordion? Or how about the picture perfect Codebreaker as Mysterio springboards off the top rope? As close to perfection as you're going to get in a free TV match with commercial breaks.

So did I get it right? You tell me in the latest Kick-Out!! Poll, what's your pick for Match of the Month? Poll closes Friday night, so get your votes in early! And if you select "Other" please let me know what match you're voting for in the comments!

Finally, the results from our previous poll:

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE TITLE DESIGN IN WWE?WWE Title - 5%World Heavyweight Title - 33%ECW Title - 28%Intercontinental Title - 11%US Title - 8%World Tag Team Titles - 0%WWE Tag Team Titles - 3%Women's Title - 1%Diva's Title - 8%

I don't know what's more shocking, the fact that no one voted for the World Tag Titles or that 8% of people voted for the Diva's Title! The World Heavyweight Championship - aka Big Gold - winning isn't a huge surprise, but I'm happy to see the ECW Title come so close.

1 comment:

i just wanted to be the 1st to comment. summerslam is jeff's last match for 4-5mnths by the looks of things and from what ive heard. so lets all hope it aint hardy vs punk. he deserves a way better exit than that. i want morrison vs hardy TLC

Welcome

Wrestling is fun. At least it's supposed to be. Sometimes it's fun, sometimes it's dumb, sometimes it's both. Kick-Out!! was founded in the spring of 2009 to celebrate the most unique form of entertainment on the planet, and to have an intelligent discussion about it through social media and professionally-produced podcasts. Hope you enjoy.